Shining a Spotlight on United Way Whiteside County
How One Small Team Coordinated 700+ Volunteers to Serve 46,000 Meals
Published March 17, 2026
When a small team is doing big work, every system matters. At United Way of Whiteside County, three staff members coordinate programs that impact thousands of lives across northwest Illinois — including a growing summer meal initiative that now serves over 46,000 meals to kids in need.
That kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a strong community… and a simple way to organize it.
With more than 700 volunteer shifts to fill across multiple locations, their team needed a solution that could keep everything running smoothly without adding extra work. That’s where SignUp stepped in, helping them streamline volunteer coordination, increase participation, and turn “we hope people show up” into “we have a waiting list.”
Here’s how they made it happen, and what other Organizers can learn from their approach.
Please tell us about your organization and your sign-up needs.
United Way of Whiteside County has been connecting people and resources in northwest Illinois for decades, and we do it with a team of three. We connect community members with resources and fund 21 local partner agencies addressing critical needs across our region — from hunger relief to early childhood literacy.
Volunteer coordination is central to everything we do, but our biggest lift by far is our Let's Feed Our Children free summer meal program. Last summer, we served over 46,000 meals at 17 sites across 11 communities and making that happen required filling more than 700 volunteer spots throughout the summer. Finding a tool that could manage that kind of volume — without adding to our workload — was essential.
Explain how you use SignUp to coordinate your volunteers.
Let's Feed Our Children is our primary use of SignUp, and it has genuinely transformed how we run the program. We have over 700 volunteer slots to fill each summer across multiple sites, time slots, and roles, everything from meal setup and serving to transportation. SignUp lets volunteers choose the exact time and the job they want, and that flexibility has been a game-changer for participation. People are far more likely to follow through when they've self-selected into a role that fits their schedule and their interests. We've actually developed waiting lists for some of our most popular positions, which is a wonderful problem to have.
Beyond Let's Feed Our Children, I also use SignUp to manage our annual allocation season, where board volunteers sign up for agency site visits. We use it for our "Mission Moment" at board meetings, where our 21 funded partner agencies claim a slot to report on their community impact. And I've used it through my work for our Rotary Club events.
Why did you decide to use SignUp?
I needed a better way to manage volunteer coordination for Let's Feed Our Children as the program grew, and nothing else I found was as intuitive or as practical for our needs. What sold me immediately was giving volunteers the ability to choose their own time slot and role. That shift alone changed our volunteer culture. People went from being assigned to a task to actively choosing how they wanted to contribute, and engagement went up as a result. For a small nonprofit without a dedicated volunteer coordinator, having a tool that essentially manages itself, sends automatic reminders, and keeps everything organized in one place is invaluable.
What is one piece of advice that you have for other volunteer coordinators out there?
What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or your volunteer program?
With a small team and great community support, United Way of Whiteside County funds and coordinates programs that make a real difference in people's lives here in northwest Illinois. Let's Feed Our Children has grown from roughly 15,000 meals in 2021 to over 46,000 meals in 2025, and that growth is a direct reflection of what happens when you make it easy for people to say yes. This program simply would not be possible with an army of volunteers, and tools like SignUp help us value their time by making the process as easy as possible.
I'm proud that we've built something where the excitement is so high that I have to announce when the SignUp goes live, because people are waiting to grab their preferred time slots the moment it goes live.
💛 We're so grateful for United Way of Whiteside County and the volunteers who turn compassion into real impact across their community — and we're proud to power their do-good initiatives. 💛
FAQs: Volunteer Coordination for Nonprofit Organizations
Q: How can nonprofits manage large numbers of volunteers efficiently?
A: Use an online volunteer sign-up tool that allows self-scheduling, automatic reminders, and centralized coordination. This reduces manual work and improves participation.
Q: Why is self-selected scheduling effective for volunteers?
A: When volunteers choose their own time and role, they feel more invested and are more likely to show up and stay engaged.
Q: What is the best way to reduce volunteer no-shows?
A: Offer flexible scheduling, allow volunteers to pick their roles, and send automated reminders to reinforce commitment.
Q: Can small nonprofits manage large programs without a volunteer coordinator?
A: Yes. With the right tools, small teams can organize large-scale volunteer efforts efficiently and keep everything running smoothly.
Q: How do you fill hundreds of volunteer slots quickly?
A: Make sign-ups simple, flexible, and easy to access. When the process is clear and convenient, participation increases.
Q: What types of programs benefit from volunteer sign-up tools?
A: Meal programs, school events, nonprofit initiatives, board activities, and community service events all benefit from structured sign-up systems.
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About the Author
Tara McAdams
Digital Marketing Manager, Content Strategist & Creator
Tara leads content strategy at SignUp and creates a variety of resources on a wide range of topics – including lifestyle trends, parent tips, prep for holidays, volunteer management, and event planning. More about Tara →
